This year's most successful business initiatives from local media tranforming business models

It's here! The list of who had the most successful, innovative revenue strategies of 2014. Use this round-up as snapshot of where we are in developing new revenue models for journalism-based media, and as a list of contacts for specific initiatives.

Case studies are linked; those we have not covered will be reported in 2015.

Without further ado, the who's who in local media for 2014 are....

Best of Local Sales

Best Sales Contest

Company: Swift Communications

Contest: 2014 Digital Drive

Winner: Colorado Mountain News Media

Samantha Johnston Jim Morgan Lynn Virgilio

GM, Aspen Times GM, CMNM Sales Director, Swift

Judges take: In 2014, its third year, Swift's company wide digital sales contest, Digital Drive, hit $700,000 in all new, digital revenues over 13 weeks. The initiative kicks off at the annual meeting, has five individual awards in each of two categories – most sales and highest revenues - plus team awards of $2,000 for one team in the East and West. With team names like Darth Digital and even team costumes, the teams have gotten more competitive every year, tracking progress companywide in a weekly email. The winner? The Colorado Mountain News Media, which includes the prosperous but small circulation Aspen Times and surrounding weeklies, and $275,000 in brand new digital sales. Congratulations to Lynn Virgilio, founder of the program and of course the winners at CMNM.

Best Sales Innovation

Company: A.H. Belo

Market: Dallas Morning News - Dallas Tx

Circulation: 409,265

Initiative: Pay-per-lead program

Key Executive: Dan Phelan, Chief Digital Officer

Judges Take: Pay-per-lead software has paid off in revenue growth from key high revenue, low-serviced categories such has HVAC and other home services. There are now 50 plu